It's time for real leadership to show

Now that the people have spoken, it's time to put an immediate end to campaigning and let leadership begin. Candidates who were elected to govern and represent the people are among a privileged select group that share one common attribute: They have the opportunity to lead.

No matter the length of tenure in government or the specific appointment, every elected official has the same opportunity to become a leader in whatever position they serve. To lead is to show the way. We've had enough of “my way or the highway” leadership. We need leaders who will comfortably and genuinely operate from an awareness that shows the way back to “we” and “us.”

Everyone knows that governing effectively requires engaging in the tricky business of politics in order do what every voter ultimately expects: get something worthwhile done. Every elected official must walk the tightrope that is tethered at one end by individual and/or special interests and at the other end by what is in the best interests of all. Effective leaders successfully navigate that tightrope with their character intact.

We want to hear our elected officials say: The campaign is over; join me in leading, follow or get out of the way. We want to hear them say: I will listen, examine all relevant information and do my very utmost to make decisions that meet individual needs while remaining committed to doing what is best for all. We want all of our elected officials to serve with integrity. We want them to remember that the root word of integrity is the word integer. An integer is a whole number, not a fraction. Put the fractions together into wholes. It's time to lead with integrity.

Ron Bearwald

Northbrook